Realizations
by KyraLeonheart
Summary: NejiSaku Death and betrayal brought them to an arrangement. To Sakura it became so much more… but what about Neji? Does he feel the same way? Rating may change
1. Chapter 1

Realizations

**Written: 24****/09/2007**

**Edited: 21/06/2008**

**Beta-ed: Never**

**-**

**Realizations**

**Summary: NejiSaku Death and betrayal brought them to an arrangement. To Sakura it became so much more… but what about Neji? Does he feel the same way? Rating may change**

**- - - - - **

Love isn't like what you read in fairy tales…

That is the simplest of truths.

Here she was, lying next to the man she knew she loved and she couldn't help but realize it wasn't how she had pictured it to be at all.

The biggest difference was the man himself. Never in her younger days would she have thought the two of them would end up together. Truth be told, back in those days she only had eyes to her dark-haired teammate, whose mysterious aura put her in a hypnotic trance every single time her eyes fell upon him. It was difficult to see what is right in front of you when you keep your eyes set in only one direction and block everything else out. Yes, she had come a long way since then.

Sighing she shifted to a more comfortable position as she thought about the events leading to that moment.

-/-/-/-

"Come on Sasuke-teme hang on. Just a little bit further, we're almost there!"

The seventeen years old blond shinobi ran as fast as his legs permitted, jumping from tree branch to tree branch with a velocity possible only because of the powerful beast sealed within him.

A blur was all that could be seen of Uzumaki Naruto as he made his way towards his home village, Konohagakure no Sato. He could already see the rusty gates. Just a couple more minutes and he would make it. He had to. He had to get to the hospital and find the Hokage.

As he hastily crossed the ancient gates and jumped over to a rooftop for a more direct and obstacle-free path, the kitsune boy shifted his arms slightly to adjust the position of the person riding his back. Said person was none other that his best friend and arch-enemy Uchiha Sasuke.

With Jiraya and Gai's team occupied with Pein and Konan, it was up to infamous Team 7 to look for the two last surviving members of the Uchiha clan who, more likely than not, would be found facing each other in battle.

The remaining members of what was called Team Hebi had already perished taking with them Hoshigaki Kisame and the enigmatic Zetsu. In the end Juugo, the last one standing, was killed by the one called Tobi, whom, until then, everyone thought was the weakest link of the organization named Akatsuki.

Said masked man had then made his way to the place he knew Itachi would be waiting for Sasuke. The battle between them should be close to an end, he thought. He would take the opportunity created by the chaos of the battles surrounding them to put in action his plans concerning the Uchiha siblings. However when he got there he was surprised to find only the older Uchiha awaiting. Apparently Itachi had known for quite a while that the one named Tobi was in fact Uchiha Madara. He just couldn't understand how that was possible.

Madara smirked at his relative as he realized his identity had been uncovered. Seconds later the battle between the two of them began.

Madara wanted to kill Itachi because he thought he was becoming a liability. A blind shinobi is no good at all. Soon he would be replaced by his younger brother.

On the other hand Itachi found in Madara the perfect opportunity to test his strength. What better way to test the unique Mangekyo Sharingan than using it against its own creator? The founder of the very same pitiful clan he had almost entirely whipped out?

The battle had lasted for half an hour when Sasuke finally catch up. He arrived just in time to see his brother cutting off the mask of the one-eyed man revealing a horrifically scarred face. The man's mouth was contorted in what seemed to be a smirk, but one could not tell since the so called mouth looked more like a line poorly etched on dry wood. The nose had been so badly broken that it was almost as if he didn't have one. Where one of the eyes was supposed to be now stood a hole adorned by a vertical scar. But what surprised Sasuke the most about the man wasn't his unfortunate appearance. No, the Uchiha survivor could do little but stare at the other man's single crimson orb, the proof of his lineage. The former leaf shinobi had no doubt about the Akatsuki member's heritage; however he had no clue about his identity.

The battle between the two Red Clouds resumed as they seemed to completely ignore the third man's presence. It took Sasuke seven full minutes before he finally decided what to do. He wanted to fight Itachi, yes, but this other Uchiha was in his way. He wouldn't let him rob him of his revenge. Besides, he was an Akatsuki. The world would be better off without him anyway. And so, disgusted because of what he was about to do, the younger brother joined the battle to help his older brother. If Itachi was surprised about the turn of events he didn't show it. Instead he rationally modified his battle strategy to fit the new advantage he now held over the enemy.

Uchiha Madara may have been the founder of the Uchiha clan, the creator of the sharingan, the strongest member of the Akatsuki… but he alone was no match for the two strongest members of his cursed clan. That, combined with the ill-usage of the jutsu that sustained him alive for all the decades he had lived, led to his ultimate destruction.

By the time Madara fell on the ground dead, Sasuke was already attacking Itachi. They were both heavily wounded and they knew they most likely wouldn't survive such a battle. Still the siblings fought bravely… until only one of them was left standing.

A single tear ran down Sasuke's eyes as he heard his brother's last breath. Itachi's face still looked beautiful, even more so now that it was marred by his own blood. It was ironic really, when Sasuke thought about it, that the justsu that killed the person he hated the most in the end wasn't taught to him by Orochimaru or anyone he met on his quest for power. The jutsu that had put an end to his revenge had been taught to him by his sensei Kakashi, back in his gennin days. With a mirthless chuckle at the irony he fell unconscious next to his death brother's body.

Team 7 arrived at the scene less than fifteen minutes later. The look of pure horror sculpted in Naruto's and Sakura's faces would forever be etched in the memory of Hatake Kakashi. He couldn't blame them, really. If he didn't have the years of experience at controlling emotions he too might have looked like that. Well, and having 90 percent of his face covered by a mask didn't hurt either.

Angry chakra waves started to pour out of Naruto as he watched Sakura doing her best as a medic-nin to heal Sasuke. He was alive, but only barely.

Crying in despair Sakura told them that she did not possess the training or knowledge necessary to help him. Sasuke would have to be brought to the Hokage without delay. She was the only one who could save him now.

And that was how Naruto found himself carrying the last Uchiha to Konoha, to salvation.

Sweat ran down the blonde's forehead as he sensed the minutes tickling by. He didn't have much time. He could feel his friend giving up on life.

"Yes!!"

He had finally made it to the hospital. He rushed in and no one made any move to stop him since they were all petrified in surprise. The Jinchuuriki hastily made his way to the room he knew the Hokage would be waiting in. It was very unusual for her to be in the hospital, but due to the risk of the present mission she had waited for their return where she knew she would be most needed.

Tsunade spilled the Sake she had just put in her mouth and Shizune jumped from her chair as the door of examination room nr 23 burst open.

"Tsunade-baa-chan, its Sasuke! He needs your help!!"

The Godaime exchanged a meaningful look with her young assistant before rushing to the bed where the Hokage-wanna-be had just laid down the missing-nin.

"Stand back Naruto!"

"But I wanna hel-"

"NO BUTS!! Stand back and let us work. Shizune close the door."

The brunette did as she was told before returning to her mentor's side. Tsunade sported a worried look on her face as her chakra ran deep within the teen's body. Thirty seconds later her chakra flow stopped but her hands still rested on the shinobi's chest.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Naruto knew the minute the Godaime refused to look at him that there was no hope, but he refused to believe it was over. "Well?"

"Naruto…"

"He just fainted right? The teme probably just used too much chakra. He'll be up and running in a few days! You'll see!"

The Kitsune boy looked hopefully at the Hokage who finally turned to him with a painful look. "I'm sorry."

The older woman made a move to touch him in the shoulder but he brushed her off and ran out of the hospital hiding his tears as he ran to nowhere.

All he could think about was 'how am I going to tell Sakura-chan?'

-/-

**A/N:** Here it is!! A Neji x Sakura fanfic for all those who read 'Last Breath' and asked for a happy story for the pairing! No, it's not a sequel, but since a lot of people got mad at me for making them cry here is my redemption.

Don't worry I'll return to the beginning of the story when the time is right. Also the relationship between Neji and Sakura will take some time to develop.

Please don't kill me for starting a new fic instead of updating the others but I just have this huge writer's block… blame it on my stupid law school exams! This story shouldn't be very long… it was supposed to be a one-shot… but so was 'Until Then…' and look at how that turned out…

I've seen Pein written as Pein or Pain, I chose the first one since it's what is on Wikipedia… if I'm wrong please tell me and I'll change.

**COMING NEXT:** Pein and Konan are finally terminated, but nothing can be gained without a cost…

R&R please!


	2. Chapter 2

**Writen: 31/12/2007**

**Edited: 21/06/2008**

**Beta-ed: Never**

**-**

Hyuuga Neji resisted the urge to roll his beautiful eyes. He and his old team were at the gates waiting for the sannin Jiraiya who would accompany them. Their mission? To defeat once and for all the members of the organization called Akatsuki. Apparently the "bag guys" were tired of waiting to finally get the kyuubi (since they already had the other eight bijuus) and had decided to invade Konohagakure no Sato. If the information they had was correct, two of them were already dead, as well as Sasuke's new companions. The rest of Akatsuki were believed to be divided into two groups that would attack from different fronts.

The two Uchihas should be about to face each other, that is if they hadn't started already. An unknown Akatsuki was believed to be with them. As predicted Team 7 had demanded to be sent to that location and had already left.

Lastly team Gai, accompanied by the Ero-sennin (who claimed to know who Pein was and how to kill him) would fight against the Leader of the cursed organization and against the only known female wearer of the red clouds insignia.

Hyuuga Neji hated to fight against women. No, it had nothing to do with chauvinism, it was about chivalry. Being the member of a prestigious and ancient clan he had always been taught to respect and protect women. Not because they were weak, but because they were important. They were the ones that gave birth to the world, they were the ones that made peace possible, they were the ones that healed the wounds of the fallen… They were also damn good warriors!! After all his own current Kage was a female and her student had beaten the crap out of him a couple of times during their training sessions.

His own teammate was a force to recon with, especially when she was mad. He was one to know.

Ah, Tenten.

They were finally an item. They had been for six months now, even if most of their friends didn't know about it. After all, being a Hyuuga is being the soul of discretion.

Neji allowed himself a smile as he watched _his girlfriend_ smack Lee on the head and fighting the urge to do the same to their former sensei Gai.

A loud noise brought him out of his reverie and alerted him to the fact that their last team member had arrived.

At last, the hunt begins.

-/-/-/-

"Lee, are you okay?"

Tenten kneeled besides her beaten teammate.

The battle against the blue-haired kunoichi was finally over.

Just a few feet from them their other teammate fought to regain his breath. The battle had been tough and they all wanted to rest. But first there was something that needed to be done.

Ever since they had been separated from the rest of the team they hadn't heard anything from them except a few explosions.

They needed to make sure everyone was okay and then regroup before they could return home.

The pearl-eyed shinobi tied his hair back again, since it had come loose by the end of the battle, before calling his friends.

Even with the byakugan by their side it took more than fifteen minutes to find the others. And things did not look good.

Lying around the battle field were the bodies of five men that looked like the one Jiraiya was fighting.

Leaning against a tree was Gai, suffering from chakra depletion and blood loss.

With a second look at the sannin, Neji knew something was not right. Behind the white-haired man was a creature that resembled a ghost… and inside its belly…

Neji's eyes widened. He knew what this was, he had heard about it. The perverted man was sacrificing himself to seal his enemy, just like the Sandaime Hokage had failed to do during their first chuunin exams.

He could see it, Pein's soul. The jutsu was almost complete.

There was a bright light and then… nothing.

When Neji opened his eyes he saw the bodies of Jiraiya and Pein and knew that the war was finally over. The Akatsuki were no more.

A thump signalled that Gai had fallen into the ground. Tenten and Lee had already rushed over to him, but Neji stood his ground. He could sense a familiar chakra signature… it was someone he knew but he couldn't pinpoint exactly who it was.

Puzzled he activated the byakugan and saw a flash of pink.

There was hope after all!! Pink meant Sakura, it had to. And Sakura meant the second best medic-nin in the world.

The coffee-haired shinobi rushed forward decided to catch up to her and make her stop.

He paused right in front of her giving her plenty of time and space to stop, but she seemed too distracted to notice and ended up going straight against him.

Neji was the first to get up, surprised for catching the girl so off-guard.

The pink-haired kunoichi hastily got up and finally seemed to realize what had happened.

"Hyuuga-san! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you…"

The girl forced a smile and Neji decided to save the lecture she deserved for later. Gai's life was on the line and every minute counted.

"Gai's hurt."

Sakura's eyes widened. She seemed to be torn between two choices. She looked at the path continuing behind him and then looked back at him as if trying to decide what to do.

"Lead the way."

He did.

When they arrived Sakura took no notice of her surroundings and concentrated on the person she was supposed to be helping.

Tenten and Lee got out of the way and let her do her job.

Half an hour later the Godaime's apprentice stopped what she was doing and exchanged a meaningful look with Neji. There was nothing else she could do. Gai was dead…

Understanding dawned upon Tenten who threw herself at Lee's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Lee looked at his beloved sensei's body, refusing to believe he was lost forever. It simply couldn't be true. He would get up at any minute with his bright smile and talk about youth.

Lee waited and waited… but Gai never got up…

Sakura's eyes lingered on Gai's body. She felt useless. First Sasuke and now Gai…

At least Sasuke should be okay, he should be at the hospital already if Naruto had used the power of the Kyuubi.

With a sigh she closed the eyes of her sensei's "eternal rival" to the world for the last time and finally took the courage to look around.

When her eyes fell upon a particular corpse her body froze.

And then… she cried. She knew how much her shishou loved that man even if the older woman never admitted it. How could she tell her?

Somehow, deep inside, she knew she didn't have to. She had the feeling that her shishou already knew, that she had known the minute she assigned him that mission.

But there was someone else who would need to know, someone else who would suffer greatly with the loss.

'Oh, no! How am I going to tell Naruto?'


	3. Chapter 3

**Written: 05/02/2008**

**Edited: 21/06/2008**

**Beta-ed: Never**

**-**

**A/N: **For the record this IS a NejiSaku!! I hope this chapter clears thatup. Enjoy :)

WARNING: A bit of cursing.

-

-

Silence reigned during the trip back. The mission had been successful, but at a great cost.

Lee and Tenten lead the way, silently supporting each other. A little behind them Neji took with him their sensei's body. Lastly Sakura used her super-human strength to bring Jiraiya back to her shishou and to Naruto.

They made their way through Konoha, to the hospital, taking the less crowded route.

Sakura observed her companion's behaviour. They seemed to be taking Gai's death pretty badly. She could understand though, she would have been devastated if it had been Kakashi dying.

Neji seemed to be the least affected, not that it surprised her. He was never one to show his feelings.

Lee and Tenten on the other hand seemed to be relying on each other to suppress their grief. Could it be that their were together? It HAD been a while since Lee had lastly asked her to go on a date or professed his undying love for her…

They made a cute couple, she mused, even if she had always believed Tenten would end up with Neji. She was the only one who seemed to get close to the young prodigy.

But then again the same could be said about her and Sasuke and look at how that turned out…

…Sasuke…

Just a little longer and her concerns would be eased. Tsunade must have healed him by now…

With the hospital in sight they slowed their pace. Arriving there, giving their report to the hokage… it would all make things real and they wanted to believe, if only for a little longer, that they were wrong. That Gai and Jiraiya were merely sleeping and that they would wake up any minute saying it was all a bad joke.

But they never woke up…

Shuzine received them at the entrance. Her already small smile at seeing them return completely vanished as she took notice of the bundles Neji and Sakura carried. Her face turned into one of horror as she led them to an unoccupied room so they could be checked for injuries.

Once they got there Gai and Jiraiya's bodies were laid on the two existing beds.

Lee sat down by Gai's side with his head between his hands, crying for his mentor.

Neji sat in the windowsill with Tenten on his lap, weeping into his chest as he rubbed her back.

Sakura raised one eyebrow at the scene but said nothing.

First she needed to find Sasuke and then… Tsunade…

Quietly she left the room and looked for Tsunade. The elder woman was found on the reception, with a clipboard in her hands.

"Shishou." The Godaime almost jumped in surprise, ashamed of being caught lost in her thoughts. "How is Sasuke-kun?"

The Hokage's grip on the clipboard tightened as she averted her eyes from her pupil.

It was never a good sign when she did that, Sakura had learnt that the hard way.

"Tsunada-sama, where is he?" The pink-haired beauty said with a strained voice.

"I'm so sorry Sakura." There was a pause while Sakura finally realized what her teacher meant to say. "There was nothing I could do."

The only female member of Team 7 sank to her knees crying like never before.

It couldn't be true. After everything they had been through… it couldn't…

Oh, but it was… the last of the Uchihas had perished. There was no one else to carry on the clan.

Sakura could care less about the cursed clan though, she wept for Sasuke, not for the Uchiha.

Tsunade watched her student helplessly. She wanted to hug her, to comfort her, but Shizune had adamantly requested the hokage's presence.

In only a few minutes the thought of comforting her pupil vanished from her mind. Her heart shattered as she embraced the body of the man she had love for so long.

Her biggest regret was that she never told him that his feelings were not one-sided. She was so scared of the idea of loving him and then losing him like she did with Dan that she ended up suffering so much more by not enjoying the time she had with him.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen…

-

-

One week and two days…

That's exactly the time that had passed since Sasuke's dead.

One week and two days was the time Sakura had spent locked in her room, except for the small time she was at the funerals.

One week and two days had passed and yet she refused to believe that they had failed him, that SHE had failed him…

Her parents were worried and tried everything they could to make her go out, to talk to someone! But she didn't listen to them. She barely slept and ate close to nothing.

Ino had tried to talk to her a couple of times but she too got no answer other than a few empty smiles.

Hinata had also visited her, once, earlier that day. Apparently Naruto had taken the news on Jiraiya and Sasuke's death as hard as Sakura had. The pink-haired girl had seen him only once since that day, during the funerals. Everyone in the village had attended to them, but not even once had she spoken to her dear friend. They hadn't even looked each other in the eye.

The betrayal of the last Uchiha had brought them together to a sibling like relationship but his death had torn them apart.

Hinata had been there for the kitsune boy, taking care of him, comforting him every single day.

All their friends tried to bring team 7 together, so they could ease each other's pain, but neither Naruto nor Sakura could bear to see the other suffering.

Kakashi, on the other hand, had taken as much missions as he could handle. Sasuke, Jiraiya and Gai's death had taken a toll on him and he needed time to think.

The loss of Gai had affected him more than he ever thought it would… more than he'd ever admit it did…

-

-

Yamanaka Ino took a deep breath as she reached the Haruno's house. She hated to see her friend moping around. She wanted, no, she HAD to do something! Tonight she would make Sakura leave the house, even if she had to drag her with her own hands.

With a new resolve the young kunoichi knocked on the door. A few moments later she was received by a beautiful woman with long pink hair.

"Ino-chan! I wasn't expecting you!"

"Good afternoon Haruno-san. I was wondering if I could talk to Sakura."

The older woman's eyes softened. She was worried sick about her daughter; it pained her heart to see her so beaten, so broken.

Despite that, it was good to know that her daughter had such faithful friends. She had found it weird though that the kyuubi container hadn't drop by… after all, despite her initial protests, her daughter and him had become close friends…

"Of course Ino-chan, come in. She's upstairs."

The Yamanaka nodded and smiled politely as she entered the house and took the path she knew so well to her friend's bedroom.

-

-

Sakura raised her head from the pillow. Someone had just knocked on her bedroom door.

'Maybe if we ignore them they'll go away…' She was surprised to hear from her inner mind. She had been awfully quiet since… THAT day…

Swallowing painfully she laid her head in her soft pillow once again. She wanted to be left alone…

The knocking continued despite Sakura's efforts to ignore it so she slowly got up from her bed, carefully hiding the picture of team 7 during their gennin days under her pillow.

With a sigh she ran her fingers through her messy rosette tresses before opening the door.

"About time you got up forehead-girl!"

Sakura looked at her friend through hollow eyes. "What do you want Ino?"

The blonde dropped her cheerful façade and allowed herself into the room. "We're worried for you Saku-chan."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not! No one has seen you for days, your mother said you have barely eaten and you look like shit! Seriously, when was the last time you took a bath?"

The pink-haired kunoichi frowned as she looked down at herself. Okay, she smelled and her hair looked as if she had been fighting in a ring full of that sticky substance they use to make men watch the fights… She probably had black eye-rings to match Gaara's too… but that didn't mean she was a mess!... Did it?

'I think it does…'

"Lets just go out, dance and get drunk 'till we pass out!"

Sakura gave a humourless chuckle. "And then what Ino-_chan_? Pretend that nothing happened? Drink the pain away?"

"That's… that's not what I mean! But you can't lay here forever crying over him! He's dead Sakura, and he isn't coming back. But YOU are still alive!"

"Do you think I don't know that? Do you think I wouldn't do anything to bring him back? Do you think I don't wish every single day that I was dead instead of him? Do you-…"

The sound of a slap echoed thorough the house.

Sakura could only stare wide-eyed at Ino as the girl's eyes began to water up.

"You're so fucking selfish, you know that? Did you, for a moment, think of us? Of the friends you leave behind? Is he that much better than us that you'd rather die for him that live for us?!"

The blonde's voice was rising with each word she spoke until it became an ear-piercing shout.

Sakura averted her eyes, afraid of her friend's words. But Ino was having none of that and grabbed her by the shoulders forcing their eyes to meet.

"I never thought you were such a coward Sakura. I never thought you'd hide like this…"

Anger flashed in Sakura's eyes at the mention of the word coward and Ino almost sighed in relief knowing that there was still hope after all.

"The Hokage organized a small party to celebrate the end of the war. 11 p.m. at the 'Flying Shuriken'. Think about what I said. Define your priorities. If you decide we're good enough a reason for you to live for, then show up."

And with that she left, almost running down the stairs so her friend wouldn't see the tears running freely down her face. She couldn't let Sakura see her cry. She had to be strong, to be there for her. All the silly girl had to do was reach out and she'd be there! It was up to her now… to decide…

-

Sakura stood rooted on the spot for a few moments with her hand gently nursing the wound on her face.

And for the first time in a long tome she realized that there was life outside Uchiha Sasuke; that people cared for her and worried for her sake.

If only because of that than maybe she should live, she didn't want to make them worry. If only for that shouldn't she at least TRY?

Inner Sakura woke up with renewed strength to cheer on her decision.

She would be going to that party and make them stop worrying even if she had to fake it! After all she had faked so many smiles before, faking a few more couldn't be that hard…

'But first we need to shower. We stink more than Naruto's apartment!'

The girl gave a small chuckle at her inner voice despite the tug on her heart at the mention of Naruto's name. He should be there too… Hinata would surely force him to go…

Sakura slapped her forehead. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all…

-

-

One week and two days… that's for how long his sensei had been dead.

One week and two days… that's for how long he hadn't seen his girlfriend Tenten…

He was used to not seeing her. In the six months they had been together they had only seen each other half a dozen times and only half of those times had they been alone. It was tough but he knew it would be like that, after all he is a jounin requested for high rank missions (most of them solo) and she a chuunin still going on missions with the rest of her team or alone with Lee.

No, the problem wasn't to be away from her, the problem was not being there for her when she needed him the most.

Don't get him wrong, he didn't choose to be away. The Akatsuki were gone but there was still dirty work to be done. There was a very limited number of people whom the Hokage could say she truly trusted and most of them where overwhelmed in grief and wouldn't be able to do their jobs properly. Yes, Neji was hurt too but he was never a person to let his feelings interfere with a mission so the Hokage sent him away to where he was needed.

Not so surprisingly he had come across the copy-ninja at one point during his mission but they barely spoke a word, the memory of Gai still too fresh in their minds and hearts.

One week and two days away from home. He could hardly wait to see her… He had left her in good hands, he knew Lee would take care of her, but still he wanted to personally make sure she was alright.

As he arrived at Tenten's parent's house he allowed himself to smile for the first time in a week and two days.

He didn't want to face the girl's parents at the moment so he climbed to her bedroom window, hopping to find her there…

…but when he reached it he decided that maybe he shouldn't have for there, laying half-naked in bed, were his girlfriend Tenten and the one he thought was his best friend Rock Lee.

And like that the heart that had slowly been warming up turned into ice once again…


	4. Chapter 4

**Realizations**

**Summary: NejiSaku Death and betrayal brought them to an arrangement. To Sakura it became so much more… but what about Neji? Does he feel the same way? Rating may change**

**- - - - - **

**Chapter 4**

-

Neji stood frozen, watching as Lee caressed TenTen in places he had only dreamed of touching.

He had waited and waited and respected her, doing his best to deserve her love…

…but what in hell had he done to deserve this?!

Anger.

Betrayal.

Love.

Hurt.

Shocked beyond belief he unconsciously deactivated the chakra-masking jutsu he maintained to evade her parents.

In the bedroom two lovers stiffened, eyes widened in horror.

Lee, clad only in green boxers, got up from the bed as Tenten covered her naked chest with a pillow.

"Neji-kun, this is not what you think!"

"And what exactly, Tenten-_chan_, am I thinking?" His eyes were cold, voice dripping with venom.

Tenten flinched. Never in all the years she had known the Hyuuga prodigy had she seen him like this. Despite herself she felt slightly afraid of him. He looked ready to kill and she had no doubt he could kill them both if he wished so.

Gracefully the coffee-haired boy jumped inside the room, landing silently close to a very uncomfortable-looking Lee.

"I'm so sorry Neji. We never mean-…"

A fist connected with the green beast's jaw before he could finish speaking.

A broken wall, a female scream…

Silver orbs looked accusingly at his once best friend before setting on his _**ex**_-girlfriend.

Disappointment.

Anger.

Lost love.

Tenten lowered her eyes, ashamed. She never meant for this to happen. And his eyes, oh Kami-sama, his eyes! She would never forget the painful look of betrayal etched on those magnificent eyes for as long as she lived.

The sound of footsteps and two voices calling Tenten's name.

Three pairs of eyes set on the door. Two terrified, one sadistically amused.

The door opened as Neji vanished.

The couple of traitors were left to explain to Tenten's parents (two members of the Torture & Interrogation Squad) why they were half-naked in her bedroom.

-

Leaves.

Branches.

Trees.

In the middle of the dust and flying objects stood a lone jounin still clad in ANBU gear.

Another tree shook violently before falling with the violence of Neji's wrath.

His hands thorn and bleeding but he ignored it. The pain was nothing compared to the pain of betrayal.

How could they do this? How could they do this to him?

He gave them all he had, his friendship, his trust, his love…

But apparently that wasn't enough.

Had it been his fault? After all he had left when they needed him the most, when SHE needed him the most.

But such was the life of a shinobi; they knew it ever since the academy.

Did they think he wasn't affected by his sensei's death? Of course he was! But he was a ninja of the Leaf. Duty always comes first.

Did they think he hadn't grieved? He was grieving! He did it alone, in silence, but he did it! Why couldn't they do the same?

Had his distance thrown them into each other's arms? Was it his fault?

No, damn it! It was their fault! They had betrayed him. They had no excuse!

With a last punch he let himself fall on the floor, breathing heavily with exhaustion.

The forest was destroyed but it was for the best. If he had stayed he would have certainly done something he would regret later.

He still might, the next time he found them.

His eyes darkened as he tried to push the thoughts of THEM out of his mind.

He would be civil to them, but he would keep them at a safe distance.

He would forget all thoughts of love and erase Tenten completely from his heart.

Never again would he let a woman get under his skin. Never again would he give his heart to another.

…never again…

And so he closed his heart's door on love's face.

-

"Neji?"

"Yes Hiashi-sama?"

"What happened to you?"

Neji stared blankly ahead. "Mission."

His uncle nodded. "Get cleaned up. The Hokage is expecting you." Neji looked ready to protest but the oldest Hyuuga cut him off. "You WILL attend the party."

"Yes Hiashi-sama." Neji bowed and continued his path to his bedroom.

A party was definitely NOT in his plans. But a clan order was a clan order, even if it was a stupid one.

-

Bracing herself for the worst, Ino knocked at the Haruno's house door. Haruno Sayuri, Sakura's mother, answered.

"Haruno-sa-…"

Sayuri launched herself at Ino, hugging her like there was no tomorrow.

"Thank-you Ino-chan!"

"Er… no problem?"

The pink-haired woman released the confused teenager embarrassedly. "She joined us for dinner."

Ino smiled at her best friend's mother. "I'm so relieved…"

"Come in, she's getting dressed."

The blonde nodded and headed to her friend's room. She could hear movement inside. Definitely a good sign.

The door opened just as she was about to knock.

"Are you gonna stand there all day?"

Ino glared as she let herself in.

Sakura rolled her eyes and finished putting her hair up with hair sticks.

'No make-up, simple black dress, hidden weapons… could be worse', Ino thought.

"Ready forehead-girl?"

The pink-haired kunoichi shrugged and grabbed a jacket. "Let's go."

The blonde sighed as they left.

At least she HAD gotten out of the house.

-

"The Flying Shuriken", a bar known to be the gathering point of the village's shinobi.

Sakura had never liked it much; it was too dark, too crowded and reeking of alcohol.

No wonder her shishou had chosen this place.

Tonight they had even put tables and chairs on the outside. There simply were too many people celebrating.

Sakura wrinkled her nose as a drunken chuunin tried to make conversation with her friend.

After a few minutes the medic-nin realized that Ino actually intended to stay and flirt with the guy.

Sighing Sakura went inside and ordered a beer. Not the most elegant of beverages, but she liked it nonetheless. It was enough the Sake she drank with her shishou…

Looking for her friends she saw Kiba and Hanabi dancing wildly at an unknown song. Temari was also there trying to drag Shikamaru to the dance floor.

Sakura chuckled as she watched the blond sand-nin threatening the lazy boy with her fan. She could imagine him saying 'troublesome' before getting up.

At a corner she could see Genma flirting with Shizune.

Further to the right… Tsunade…

The Godaime was drinking heavily, chatting with some members of the council. She was smiling, but it was not the same smile she used to have. There was something missing.

Sakura turned around, not bearing to look at her mentor. It was simple too painfull… to remember…

Further ahead she saw Kotetsu signalling her to join them.

She waved at him and manoeuvred her way to him, tying not to spill her drink as she walked.

When she got there she noticed a lot of familiar faces and among them…

…Naruto…

She greeted everyone avoiding eye contact with her blond friend. To her immense misfortune the only chair available was next to said boy.

Swallowing a lump inside her throat she sat. It was going to be a long night…

Many minutes passed by as she made small conversation with her acquaintances, never even looking to her side.

She drowned glass after glass until a hand prevented her from drinking any further.

"Please Sakura-chan, stop."

Sakura looked up to find Naruto looking pleadingly at her. Their eyes finally met, both so full of pain and sorrow…

Her resolve finally crumbled and she threw herself into his arms. He embraced her tenderly, both of them doing their best to fight back the tears.

They understood then that they would heal, it would take time, but they would heal. As long as they were together everything would be alright, alone they wouldn't be able to make it.

A cough made them break their embrace. Izumo looked at them apologetically and said that Naruto was required elsewhere.

Naruto apologised to Sakura and Hinata before leaving.

Sakura looked confusedly at the shy heiress. "What was that all about?"

"N-naruto-k-kun ap-plied for the A-ANBU…"

The medic-nin palled. She could understand why the kitsune boy had done it but she couldn't help but be worried. She couldn't afford to loose him too… not now… He was all that she had left, especially since Kakashi seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice greeting the girl next to her.

Sakura looked up to find Hyuuga Neji. She hadn't seen him since… THAT day… He hadn't even been on the funerals.

Not that she could blame him. He had probably been working.

'A shinobi through and through.'

"Haruno-san."

Sakura jumped slightly as she realized she was being talked to. "Hyuuga-san."

"May I?" He was pointing at the chair Naruto had previously occupied.

"Of course."

The Hyuuga prodigy settled himself between the two young kunoichi before ordering Sake.

Something was definitely wrong. One of the few things Sakura knew about Neji was that the young prodigy was NEVER drank alcohol.

'None of my business, I guess.' Shrugging she drowned another beer.

-

"It's not that difficult Hyuuga-san."

"You say that because you're the genjutsu type. You're one of the best genjutsu users in the village."

Sakura couldn't help but smile thankfully. It felt good to be complimented on her work, especially by someone like Hyuuga Neji, the famous Hyuuga prodigy, one of the best shinobi of his generation.

Their conversation had been going on for hours. Hinata had long since gone home. Neji had tried to leave too, but Hiashi's glare kept him in place.

They had been left alone since then, talking about anything, from combat techniques to philosophical beliefs.

They had trained together for a couple of times, but they had never stopped to talk.

Apparently they had a lot in common…

By now they were both completely drunk, but neither seemed to care.

Sakura noticed that Neji had started drinking more after his teammates arrived at the party. She had been surprised when, after noticing Neji, the couple went to the opposite side of the room.

Neji hadn't talked about it but she knew they were the cause of his sudden change in behaviour.

"I still think genjutsu is the easiest of the three."

The Hyuuga prodigy tilted his head to the side to look at her as he assessed her statement. Personally he thought genjutsu was the most difficult of all the ninja techniques. It required great chakra control and a powerful mind to be able to subdue the opponent's mind.

"Perhaps."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Great, her companion was back to the 'one-word answers'.

Amused, Neji took the opportunity to scan the room.

Hanabi was still there, but Hiashi was nowhere to be seen. That means he could finally go.

The bar was still full (though not half as crowded as before), but everyone seemed to be intoxicated, some of them even completely drunk.

'Then again, so am I.'

Neji's hand froze mid-air, his glass never reaching his parted lips.

Sakura followed his gaze.

Lee and Tenten were leaving the place without as much as a word to their teammate.

'Weird…'

The medic-nin noticed how her companion jaw seemed to tighten.

'Definitely weird…'

"They look good together."

The coffee-haired boy gave her a sadistic smirk. "They do, don't they?"

Sakura gulped before frowning. Something was clearly troubling the young shinobi.

"So they really are a couple."

Neji finished pouring another glass of Sake before answering with a far away look. "They are now."

"Talk to me Hyuuga-san."

The pearl-eyes shinobi blinked at the girl who had talked to him so softly. He had always been a vey private person but the alcohol in his system made him loose his tongue. Besides, there was something about the girl that put him at ease.

Suppressing a sigh (because Hyuuga Neji NEVER sighs) the young prodigy told the Godaime's apprentice the entire story: from the moment he had started dating Tenten, to the moment he punched the Green Beast in the face.

"You're serious?!" She looked at him, disbelief in her eyes. "In six months you barely kissed and after a week they were already naked in bed??"

"Half-naked," he corrected, "and yes, I am serious."

Sakura looked at her companion weirdly. "Why?"

"Why what?" He said with bared contained annoyance. He didn't like their new topic of conversation.

"Why didn't you two ever get past kissing?"

Neji drowned another cup of Sake to hide his discomfort. "We wanted to take things slowly since… none of us had much experience…"

Sakura gave a soft giggle that soon turned into a full laughter, but she stopped at the sight of the famous Hyuyga glare.

"That's it? You were all worked up because you didn't want to admit you're a virgin??"

The coffee-haired shinobi grunted as he questioned his sanity for even mentioning that to a girl he barely knew.

"I beat you to that Hyuuga-san." The young boy rose a perfectly shaped eyebrow as his companion blushed before admitting. "I haven't even been kissed."

Neji looked surprised. "Never?" Sakura shook her head. "Why?"

She sighed. "Well at first all I could think about was S… Sa-Sasuke-kun… I used to dream of us sharing our first kiss, but then Naruto had to ruin that…" She muttered.

"Naruto?" Sakura chuckled at the boy's puzzled expression.

"Oh, you didn't hear? Back when we were assigned our gennin teams Naruto accidentally kissed Sasuke-kun."

Neji suppressed a shudder at the though while Sakura took another sip of her beer to stifle her giggles.

"After that Sasuke-kun left and I was so engrossed in my work, thinking of a way to bring him back that I didn't even think about it. Now that he is… that he is g-gone I don't think I ever will be."

"Why not? The Uchiha isn't the only male in the world." He stated mater-of-fact-ly

"I don't know many boys my age. There's Naruto, but he's like a brother to me and I'm not into incest."

'_**Plus he's got Hinata.'**_

'I better leave that part out or Hyuuga-san is so gona kill him.'

"Then there is Lee…" Neji drank another glass of Sake. "But I don't think he's into me anymore." A grunt escaped her companion's throat. "Then there's Chouji, but he absolutely loves Ino (she's still oblivious to it though) and Shikamaru is dating Temari. Sai is definitely out of the picture! I'm not very acquaintance with Shino and Kiba likes Hanabi"

"He what?!"

Sakura chuckled. "Relax. Hyuuga-sama knows and he's okay with it."

"Hn."

Sakura shook her head, amused with Neji's protectiveness. "Then there's Kankuro, but I'm not into guys who wear more make-up than I do, no mater how hot he is. And finally there is Gaara, but I think he'd rather kill me than kiss me."

Neji looked amusedly at the pink-haired girl sitting next to him. "What about me?" He asked in a husky voice surprising both of them. He had meant it to come out as a joke, not an invitation.

Sakura paused to look at him, really LOOK at him for the fist time. It was easy to see why he had such a huge fan club…

'When did Hyuuga-san get so hot??'

'_**Probably six beer bottles ago!'**_

Pushing her Inner voice away from her mind she drank the rest of her beverage.

"What about you?"

Neji leaned in, clearly amused by her reaction. "What would your reasons be NOT to kiss me?"

She swallowed, hard. "I… hm, I…"

He leaned in closer, his breath tickling her ear, teasing her for an answer.

"I…" Her mind went totally blank and she gave up. "I can't think of any…"

He smirked at her words before gently raising her face to make his lips meet hers.

The kiss was short, far from romantic. It was sloppy from their drunkenness but it was enough to leave them both craving for more… much, much more…


End file.
